The present invention relates generally to an epi illumination optical system for microscopes, and more particularly to an epi illumination optical system for microscopes, which can be used with two interchangeable different illumination optical systems.
For light sources used for epi illumination for optical microscopes, mercury lamps, and xenon lamps are usually often used for the reason of their brightness and availability. For an illumination optical system, an optical system capable of Köhler illumination is used, as described in Patent Publication 1. The publication describes that the optical system involved is built up of a light source, a collector lens and a relay lens, showing a simple arrangement wherein a light source image is formed through that optical system at the exit pupil position of an objective lens.
On the other hand, Patent Publication 2 comes up with an epi illumination optical system adapted to form a light source image array using a collector lens array, and form the image of that light source image array at the exit pupil position of an objective lens.
Patent Publication 1
JP (A) 6-289301
Patent Publication 2
JP (A) 2005-283879